Talk:Watch Out Now/@comment-3575890-20150518110033
As much of an unpopular opinion as this may be, and while it may seem contradictory to my love for Sansa, I am not angry with the writers for condensing her character with Jeyne Poole's. The fact that this storyline has been given to a character that we are already very familiar with and deeply invested in makes for a much more powerful impact than if they were to do this storyline with a character we'd not yet seen until this season. As gutting as it is and will continue to be to see poor Sansa suffer, a storyline of this magnitude will provide the necessary building blocks to strengthen Sansa's character further whilst at the same time, also providing a wonderful young actress with material worthy of her talents. It's going to be a very painful season for Sansa, but in the end, I am confident that she will come out stronger for this just as every female character has from their plight and hardship. I want to believe this won't be for nothing, and that the writers recognize that Sansa is far too valuable of a character to be put through such torturous extremes if there is no payoff at the end of the road. As we have especially seen in this episode, Sansa has grown into such a fierce and strong survivalist since the meek and submissive young girl she once was. She's learned how to play the game of thrones, and she's learned it well. She's developed a steely countenance whilst disguising that strength through a guise of wide-eyed innocence and naïveté. She is coy, calculating, brazen and outspoken, but also masterfully self-disciplined. In this episode particularly, she shook off thinly-veiled threats that once would have terrified her into silence outright antagonizing her threatener to show she is not afraid, which she genuinely was not as she has grown to recognize her position of power and how she can utilize it to her benefit, she outright refused to take Theon's arm even at the request of Ramsay - a starkly contrasting parallel to when she obliged her last husband also, if only through association, complicit in the slaughter of her family by kneeling at her wedding ceremony, and she gave pause before agreeing to take Ramsay as her husband showing that's no longer just robotically bending to the will of the enemy out of self preservation, but asserting her independence and her right to choose for herself. Unfortunately, she made a grave error and went ahead with the ceremony. Ramsay's abuses of her from hereon will undoubtedly scrape away at the top layers of her hardened shell, but she's come too far and grown too strong to be completely broken and revert back into that scared, obedient, meek little girl. Sansa CAN and WILL withstand this until she is freed from this torment. Speaking of this dark turn in Sansa's story arc, I actually feel that that horrible scene was handled surprisingly tastefully if only relative to the gratuitous rape scenes normally not shied from by these writers. I had been so afraid that it would be graphically shown onscreen and depicted with intent to sexualize Sansa and encourage desensitized titillation, which would incite a whole other cause for concern, but it was surprisingly handled rather sensitively and I am thankful for at least that. Hearing it while seeing Theon's disgust and heartbreak was gut-wrenching enough, but of course effectively powerful. Whoever said that onscreen depravity has to be shown in graphic, grotesque detail to be emotionally resonating and psychologically terrifying? What pains me most is the terror upon Sansa's face once it clicks in that she's married a monster even worse than the first psychopath she narrowly avoided marrying, the relief she had known then and now the defeated resign as she realizes she's no better off with this man than if she had married her first betrothed. It's such poetically cruel irony, and just breaks my HEART. I know that this incident is only the first of many to come, and that future ones might even be more terrible, but I hope we don't ever see a repeat of this scene. It would be redundant and pointless. We know that this is Sansa's life now. Let this vicious cycle be left to the imagination from hereon. Let this storyline be solely introspective-oriented focusing on Sansa's mental and emotional journey as she copes in the aftermath of these abuses. Circling back to my main point though: I think this could result in very good development for Sansa. As much as it pains me to see her continue to suffer, I am glad that such a valuable character is not being wasted on useless filler and is instead being given a substantial plotline that has all the potential in the world to elevate Sansa's character to front-burner status. I do not want to see my sweet princess suffer any more than anyone else here, but I am excited by the prospect of true recognition for Sansa that this storyline holds.